Young Prince – “YNTK”

Young Prince is another internet entity, a producer born out of thin air with a single detached photo posted to some social accounts and one massive, futuristic jagged pop smash. “YNTK” is an especially great hybrid because it incorporates the soulful, earnest strains of R&B vocals into an arena-sized banger. Just like Sam Bruno’s “Search Party,” this song incorporates plenty of familiar elements — stutters, glitches, sirens, underwater synth chirrups — and blows them up to an enormous size. The first time that glitter-rush firecracker drop hits at 0:55, it feels like the fleeting pulse of wonder when you serendipitously see a shooting star. Young Prince’s vocals soar right up along with the beat until they drop out and let the music take over. This song is about a feeling so strong we can barely articulate it; that’s why we have music. “YNTK” encapsulates why EDM is taking over pop with hyper-speed. It’s not drugs or festivals, the internet or kids not listening to the oldies enough. It’s because no earworm chorus will ever feel as good as that build-crash. There must be something scientific about why it feels so good, but I’m no scientist — just a girl who will be refreshing this tab all day, waiting for the drop.